Apple worries that its AI shortcomings could be exposed at the WWDC 2025

Apple’s WWDC is around the corner, and the iPhone maker is expected to reveal its latest software developments at the conference. As has already been reported, Apple plans to reveal all-new versions of its existing operating system with new names and a glassy UI. However, contrary to everyone’s expectations, WWDC won’t concentrate on the latest Apple AI developments this year.

It’s no longer a secret that Apple’s AI train is derailed, and the company can’t keep it under its hat anymore. The long-promised Apple Intelligence has just some basic AI features, and launching the AI-centric version of Siri is delayed until 2026.

Mark Gurman writes in his latest Power On newsletter that Apple needs to return to the AI race, but that won’t happen at this year’s WWDC. As Gurman says, people within Apple are concerned that “the conference may be a letdown from an AI standpoint” and any AI announcement “could make Apple’s shortcomings even more obvious.”

Instead, Apple wants to take a risky approach and defer any major AI announcement to WWDC 2026, aiming to “convince consumers that it’s an AI innovator.” Meanwhile, with AI firms like OpenAI and Google advancing at a rapid pace, Apple’s approach could further widen the technology gap between companies. Apple’s AI suite is already lagging behind its competitors in many respects.

However, this year’s WWDC won’t be entirely without traces of AI either. Apple reportedly plans to open its Foundation Models to third-party developers. This would allow developers to rely on Apple’s on-device technology used for handling small tasks like text summarization.

“Developers will be able to use the foundation models to make custom app features, marking an important (but incremental) step in Apple’s AI journey.”

Other AI features promised for this year’s WWDC include a new Apple Intelligence-powered battery life extender mode, pitching a reboot of the Apple Translate app (now integrated with AirPods and Siri), and adding an “AI-powered” tagline to some existing features in Safari and Photos apps.